Love goes to war –revised

I have been nervous as hell for the last week wishing I could take back the application I made to the United Space Federation but I am afraid my fate may be sealed. I really want to go into space and see the universe. I can’t afford to be a space tourist but perhaps I can tick this one item off my bucket list. My uncle Michel is behind me on this. I remember him telling me I should really go for what I want as life in Camdens Corners is way too small for someone with my dreams and talents.

“You’re an ace with a wrench kid. You get the right training with USF, you can write your own ticket for any job out there.” With that he gave a glowing recommendation and we mailed it off.

“Maman is going to flail us if I get accepted. It’s bad enough that Dad is up there for a tour of duty, if I go she will only worry more.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” Michel said reassuringly.

Journal entry-April 8, 2195

If what I did two weeks ago comes to pass my life is going to change in a big way. My mother is going to freak. I am about to turn eighteen in two days. I am done school and started working full time at my uncle Michels shop. This is just until I decide on future educational goals.

I read a lot of science fiction fantasy written in the twentieth century which by now is more fact than fiction. I look up at the stars every night after talking to dad on the com-unit on which I can surf the OMNI-NET and have face to face meetings. Just being able to see dad daily is easy to deal with the fact that dad is fifty light years away circling the rings of Arvedon 5. So when I look up at the night sky I feel his presence.

Chapter 1

Commander Armand Cote had just gotten off his call back home to Avril. He was concerned as he thought she was keeping something from him more than the usual stuff teenagers won’t share with dad. Avril was different. She didn’t party like the other kids as she thought life was too short for doing stupid things like getting “shit-faced drunk.” She had a point but he simply stated there was nothing wrong with drunken debauchery just not in excess and best to wait until she was legal. He was missing his oldest childs adolescence and he hated it. He wanted to be home to enforce curfew or give menacing looks to her dates. But alas he was away at this out post for the rest of his tour of duty.

He had come from a military family and it was expected that he join up after high school. If he had had his choice he would be at home designing houses and spending time with his family. He enlisted only as his father a highly patriotic and decorated general had bullied him into it. He didn’t want to get involved in any foreign conflict on earth but did his years on a peace keeping mission to shut the old man up and then joined a space program. His dad was slightly mollified that he was an astronaut instead of a namby-pamby architect. There was no way he was going to bully any of his kids into joining up unless it was their choice.

Avril had amazing skills as a mechanic as she had tinkered with anything from transpo-units to small house hold appliances. He and her mother had encouraged her curiosity until she had totally borked the food processor. That’s when they both suggested she take course in mechanics and small machine repairs. Avie was in her element.

This set her apart from her peers as the girls jeered her for being unfeminine to which Avril responded with a hearty “bite me.” He was concerned with her social awkwardness and the fact that she didn’t date much bothered her mother greatly. Juliette had wanted a girlie girl but Avril was having none of it.

He was back to thinking about his daughters secret. Armand never pried but maybe in this case he should. The door to his office chimed and slid open. His secretary Melanie came in with papers to sign. One of them was the list of recruits that would be coming aboard after training.

One name stood out like a sore thumb. Private Avril Cote.

Hot damn! She went and enlisted.

If he had this list now, that meant Avril was about to find out.

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Published by karenwritesmurder

I am a writer, blogger and radio host. I love to read and my love of books has lead me down this path. People tell me I write like Janet Evanovich. I take that as a compliment as I love her Plum books. I feel like Stephanie and Laura could be best friends.
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